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Thursday, 30 November 2017

That’s right... It’s BLOGMAS TIME! I’m braving it this year and I’m going for it...

I have lots of posts lined up including Gift guides, Christmas topics, Shopping and lots more! I’ve gathered lots of lovely ladies who will also be blogging everyday and thought it’d be nice to share them with you. If you don’t already, head on over and give them all a little read throughout the month!

Wednesday, 29 November 2017

Mylo is 6 months old this month, actually coming up to 7 months... It has gone so fast that I feel like time has just flown by. He’s been such a good baby and I think that’s probably why his 6 month mark has happened quicker than I can believe! I just thought I’d fill you in on his general updates, how he’s getting on and how he is as a baby compared to Millie...

He has been weaning since he was around 5 months old and has taken to food amazingly.

He has 3 bottles a day with his breakfast and dinner and is a mixture of baby led and spoon fed.

He loves toast, carrot crisps and rice pudding.

He has been sleeping through since he was quite young and we’re in the transition of putting him in his own room!

He can sit up fully un-aided now and can roll front-back/back-front.

He hasn’t quite mastered crawling, I think he’s too heavy for that just yet but he does love being on the floor with Harry and Millie!

He loves watching In the Night Garden (what do they do to that programme!?) and Bing.

He loves his toys too - his sock monkey is his favourite!

He is such a happy baby. He’s always smiling and laughing, especially at his big sister!

We’re trying to get him to say Mom-mom but he just laughs!

He’s also in a really good routine which we established from around 4/5 weeks old. I think it’s really important for babies and parents to have a routine - especially if you have other children. It just helps to make your day run smoothly and you know whats to come!

He’s completely different to Millie when she was a baby - she was so diddy and petite that she was lifting herself up by this point, she was crawling too and started to take her first steps within the next few weeks. Because their birthdays are 5 days apart, Mylo is the same age as Millie was at the same time of year (if that makes sense) so it’s hard to not compare what Millie was doing at this point.

The important thing is that he’s such a joy to have around. He’s going to be a little ray of sunshine and cause absolute havoc with his sister, but that’s just how we wanted it!

Sunday, 26 November 2017

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me banging on about Gousto boxes before or at least seen pictures of their yummy meals. It’s basically a subscription service where you get meals for you and your family delivered weekly, fortnightly or monthly. All of the ingredients you need are delivered straight to your door with simple, step by step recipes. The best thing about it is that if you don’t fancy anything on the menu, you can simply skip your box with no extra cost!

There’s a cheeky offer right at the end too so keep reading...

So, we usually get a 3 meal for 2 people box delivered once a month, just to give us something different to look forward to and then ideas for the rest of the month. It costs us £29.99 for this sized box so on average £10.00 per meal for the 2 of us. If you look at it in a way of what you’d spend if you ate out, it’s such good value for money as the quality of the food is very high. You’d pay at least £20-£30 for most of the meals that come with Gousto so I’m happy to spend that on a few decent meals now we don’t really get chance to go out for one.

Unlike other food boxes (Hello fresh in particular), you can use the App to select your meals up to 2 weeks before it’s due to be delivered. The app is super simple to use and you can also pop in when you want your boxes delivered or, if you want to skip any. You aren't charged anything until 3 days before your box is due to be delivered so you have plenty of time to change or cancel it if you need to. Also, if you want to cancel all together - you can either pause your boxes for a while or simply cancel them on the app too! No faffing around having to call people, just simple click and cancel.

We got a couple of free gifts with our first few boxes too, so the first one came with a lovely wooden spoon that I’ve used pretty much everytime I’ve cooked and then we got a binder which now has all of our recipe cards in! It’s a great way to store them as I can go back to them when I’m meal planning and pull out any that I want to re-make. Any meals you’ve previously purchased also go into your recipes on your app so you can follow them on your phone if you prefer to.

There is a choice of vegetarian, family friendly, dairy/gluten free meals on every selection and there is definitely something for everyone. I try and choose a selection of everything so something with Chicken, Lamb, Beef, Fish and then even throw in a veggie option because they’re always so tasty! I can’t eat pork and don’t like Prawns so it’s great that I can pick and choose the meals I know I’ll enjoy.

A lot of the meals will feed Millie too, even though they’re made for 2 people, they are huge portions and/or it’s easy for me to add ingredients to them to bulk them out e.g. Sweet potato fries, extra veg, more rice etc etc. and, she enjoys them too! It’s a relief not having to worry about what to cook for a few nights of the month and knowing that whatever it is we’ll be eating, will taste good and we have everything in that we need.

If you like the look of Gousto, you can get your first TWO boxes half price, so that’s 50% off your FIRST TWO BOXES. You also then get your 5th box FREE so you’ll only be paying full price for 2 boxes. Follow this link to get your 50% off...

Treat yourself every month and spice up your recipe book or simply get your first 2 and then cancel... They’re definitely worth it, especially if you’re always struggling to find new things to eat or, you simply hate food shopping. Getting this straight to your door means all you have to do is put it away and then cook it when you fancy!

Friday, 24 November 2017

Hiya! Welcome to the first instalment of my False Lashes review series!

Each Friday, I will be reviewing a different brand of lashes (read the intro post here) and starting off, I’ve been using 2 pairs of Unicorn Cosmetics Lashes...

Cherry Top Bubble Pop

The Brand

Unicorn Cosmetics have a huge range of lashes including Faux Mink, Faux Silk, clear band lashes and lots, lots more. With lashes starting from £9.99, they’re one of the higher priced lashes that I’ll be reviewing but for good reasons. Unicorn Cosmetitcs is a very fun, original company founded by Mel who has a very straight up sense of doing beauty - and business. With some amazing lashes, accessories and beauty products over on the website, you can be sure that there is nothing spared when it comes to the customer (or fellow Unicorns...).

One fab thing about UC is that they offer a ‘Piggy bank’ for all customers. So, create an account (use this link and you’ll get 20% off your first order too!) and you gain points from you purchases. Points mean prizes... well, money off! 500 points = £5.00 1000 points = £10.00 etc etc so in time you’ll be getting a free pair of lashes!

Along with this, its also free shipping on all lash orders! If it’s one thing I HATE spending money on, it’s postage. So this is gooooooood.

The Lashes

So, as I said, I have been using 2 pairs of lashes from UC this week ‘Bubble Pop’ which are a Faux Silk set of lashes that fan out beautifully and aren’t too full looking and ‘Cherry Top’ which are 3D Mink lashes, super fluttery and pretty. Both lashes claim to last for at least 10-15 wears when cleaned and handled properly.

I have worn ‘Bubble Pop’ 3 times this week and they’re still going strong. Each time I have removed them, I’ve used a cotton bud and some micellar water to help lift the glue from the strip and pull it off so that it doesn’t ruin it and they remain in-tact. I have worn ‘Cherry top’ twice and again, they’re still going strong, looking as good as they did when I first wore them.

None of UC lashes come with glue, however they do sell it separately on the site. I have been using Kiss products lash adhesive and it’s been working brilliantly on them. I did have to trim quite a lot off the Bubble Pop lashes and because of the design of them, it made them look a lot shorter when they were on my eyes than what they actually were. Bear this in mind if you trim your lashes too and they’re in a similar style.

The band of the lashes is quite stiff, in a good way. I’m used to flimsy, cheaper lashes that the band is easily moved and flexible however, also very easy to pull apart and lose lashes from. After the first use, they seemed to become easier to use and handle and I didn’t have to adjust them as much as I did when I first applied them. Do be careful though - I use tweezers to pop my lashes on but they can still pull out lashes if you’re too heavy handed!

Bubble pop

Bubble pop

Cherry Top

Cherry top

Overall review

I love that the lashes come in sturdy, closable packaging as it means when you whip them off at night, you can put them back in their casing and know that they will be safe and easily stored. I’m forever loosing lashes or folding them in half and making them unusable so this is a massive bonus and I think it’s a good way of packaging them too.

My favourite out of these two is definitely Cherry Top - they’re a fluttery, full lash and look gorgeous with a natural eye so the lashes take full effect. I did struggle applying these lashes though, I have to admit. The band was too stiff so I bent them and wiggled them a lot to help loosen them up and make it easier to pop on - you definitely need to let the glue set for a minute or two before applying as this helps lots!

I can definitely see that the lashes will last for a good 10 wears, as long as you take care of them. I’ve used a makeup wipe on the actual lashes and combed them out to help keep them looking fresh. For £9.99 a pair, I don’t think they’re that expensive as working it out you’d be paying £1-£2 per wear which is what a cheaper pair of lashes would give you.

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Jewellery is a great gift for everyone at Christmas. Whether its for him, her, Mum, Dad or friends, you can’t really go wrong with a good little piece of Jewellery. Even better if they’re unique pieces or ones that you know they won’t already have.

Nude Jewellery are a unique, bespoke jewellers that can create one of a kind, custom made items exclusively for you at their workshop. With over 12 years experience in creating and making jewellery including engagements rings, bracelets, wedding rings, necklaces and earrings, you know that what you’ll be getting will have been made perfectly and specifically for you.

The jewellery itself comes in a super chic box with a cute purple gift bag - huge winner if you’re not a great wrapper-upper (like me) yet it still stands out. There are lots of pre-made items on the website so not everything has to be custom made and be sure to take a look at their other pieces too, there are some beautiful necklace and bracelets that make the perfect gift for Christmas!

I thought of my Mum when I saw this Triple link necklace as she wears a lot of silver and because of the 3 links, it would be nice to symbolise Me, my Sister and my Brother. I’ll be getting her a few other bits to go with this too (sorry if you’ve seen this, Mom!). Its beautifully made and feels so luxurious, I know that anyone who receives it this Christmas will be extremely happy and it makes a gorgeous edition to anyones Jewellery stash.

Make sure you head over to their website to take a look at the other beautiful items they have to offer or if you know someone who wants a custom made wedding or engagement ring, Nude Jewellery will be the people to get that done for you!

Friday, 17 November 2017

Who doesn’t love wearing lashes?! There are HUNDREDS of types of lashes available out there to buy now and so, over the next few months, I’m going to be featuring a heap of different ones from different companies, shops and of different styles.

With so many lashes out there, I’ll be comparing the longevity of each set of lashes, the styles, suitability, price, ease of application, glue that comes with them and an overall rating out of 5 and then along the way, I’ll compare lashes to each other to narrow it down to a winning lash!

Every Friday will feature a new set of lashes with pictures of them on and off so you can see what they look like on the eyes rather than just in packaging so do let me know if you’d like to see any lashes in particular being featured. I can’t wait to get started!

Christmas is such a magical time of year, one when you can always bet on catching up with old friends and seeing family members you wouldn’t usually see. But if you’re anything like us, you’ll have family that don’t live locally which means endless hours spent in the car travelling all over to visit and spend time with them. And, if you have children, it’s more of a chore than an enjoyment but, there are ways you can get around it pretty easily.

Before you do and go anywhere though, with the colder days fast approaching, icy roads are starting to appear so make sure you give your car a full check before you head out on any long journey - check your tyres (pressure, condition, tread etc) you can find out more info on how to do that at tyreplus.co.uk , make sure you have water in your tank and spare if needed and a blanket just incase you break down and have to wait in the cold!

Right, so Tip 1: Make up some ‘goodie’ bags if you’re heading out on a long journey. These can literally just be a bag you already have at home, a sandwich bag or even a tuppawear tub and fill it with things to do. You can also get some great seat compartments which are handy to pop in bits and bobs and know they’re not going to roll around the back of the car! Summer Infant have some great ones available for just £8.99 Colouring is always good as it helps to pass the time! You can also buy little puzzle packs from the pound shop which make for good time wasting!

Tip 2: Play car games. Simple things such as Eye-spy or Spot are great games to keep the kids entertained! You can also print off check-lists too which have a list of different things the kids need to spot whilst on their travels for example, horses, helicopters etc.

Tip 3: Whenever possible, leave as early (or as late) as you can and this will pretty much guarantee you a traffic-free journey and the likelihood that the kids will fall asleep pretty quickly!

Tip 4: Ask them what songs they’d like to hear and create a playlist or take some CD’s along with you so that they can’t moan that they don’t want to listen to the radio! You can take some headphones and a book and zone out then too - keeping everyone happy!

Tip 5: Remember, children have no concept of time. If they keep asking how long it’s going to be, it’s pointless telling them because everything seems so far away anyway. Instead, pick a point along your route (if possible) for them to look out for and that way, they will be paying attention to where they’re going and know that once they’ve seen that point of reference, there isn’t much further to go!

Wherever you’re heading this Christmas, just make sure that your car is safe to drive and you have everything you need just incase the worst was to happen.

Friday, 10 November 2017

Being a family of four, when it comes to cars, we have the kids and dog to think about as well as our own comfort and style and understanding this completely are Kia who have just released a #DaddyDayCar campaign in line with their brand new Stonic. The aim being it gives growing families the room, style and technology they need to get themselves up and about with ease - even down to fitting the car seat and the trip to the hospital!

The Stonic is a small SUV with 5 doors and a really funky style collection to choose from. The cars are available in a variety of colours which also runs to the inside of the car and on the trims too! Just because you’re now parents, doesn’t mean you have to loose your style and it’s the same with cars. It has so much technology that you’ll feel like a child playing with it all! With built-in satnav, Apple and Android player and AUX and USB ports too!

The car has isofix points which allows you to securely and quickly fit in your childs carseats’ without worrying it they’re going to fit and ample boot space for a pushchair and shopping! I was invited over to Kia in Loughborough to take the Stonic for a Test drive and to take part in a few challenges finding baby items that were hidden around the dealership with clues to find them with Mylo and we headed to to Hospital and back - in line with that the car should be able to get you to the hospital with ease using the Satnav and have it be a super smooth drive!

The car also has rear cameras and sensors which means you don’t have to worry about mirror positions - you can see everything clearly on the huge monitor at the front of the dashboard.

You can read more about the specifications and features of the Kia Stonic here and it will tell you all the different customisable options you can take too! With the First Edition (above) model offering two-tone colour combinations featuring highlights in lime green, red, black or orange, this car is packed with personality and is the perfect choice of a family car for grown ups that don’t want to grow up!

Starting from just over £16,000 it’s also affordable and has low CO2 emissions. You also get 7 years warranty from Kia and 7 days free insurance so you can drive it straight from the showroom home, family in tow! The #DaddyDayCar All-New Kia Stonic test drive tests drives will be taking place at selected Kia dealerships throughout November. Whilst places are limited, customers wishing to take part can contact kiadealer@kazoo.co.uk to enquire about their nearest dealership and book a slot. For more information on the All-New Stonic, please visit www.kia.co.uk/stonic

If we hadn’t of already bought our new car last year, the Stonic would have been right up our street! I guess it’s one to consider for the future!

Thursday, 9 November 2017

Back in 2015, I was lucky enough to win a trip to Paris or Amsterdam with Booking.com - we chose to visit Paris as I really wanted to go to Disneyland and Paris has been on my list for years! But Amsterdam is still up there with my places to visit and I’d love to take a trip for a long weekend and so would Adam.

Amsterdam is just a crazy place to visit. There’s that much to see and do there, that it’s hard to know what amount of time is good to visit. Most people choose to just go for four or five days as it can get a little expensive. But if it weren’t for the price, I believe you could definitely spend a week or more in Amsterdam. The lures of it all are a little too much for some people, with it being a firm favourite for a repeat city break. The vibe there is just amazing, you’ll always feel completely relaxed and at ease with the pace of life Amsterdam brings. So let’s explore some of the lures of Amsterdam.

Firstly, there are so many cheap flights to Amsterdam that a bargain is not hard to find. The actual travel and stay of Amsterdam really isn’t that expensive, it’s the spending money once you’re there. For a flight and hotel package, you’re going to be looking at spending around £200-£250 for a nice hotel and convenient flight times. This price would be for a four or five night stay. You could also look into getting the eurostar to Paris, and driving into Amsterdam. But as we said, once you’re in there things can get a little expensive. The price of food or any other activities is relatively high compared to other countries you may want to visit. But the culture and just general uniqueness of Amsterdam is definitely worth the money.

Once you’re inside Amsterdam, you’ll discover that there way of life is just a generally more relaxed one. The native people will be biking, jogging, or walking around daily. There’s specific lanes on the paths all around Amsterdam purely for the cyclists. They all seem to be so friendly as well, unless you get in the way of their bikes. Definitely remember to stay on your side of the path unless you want to get run over. If you’re on the hunt for food, there’s some great little shops that sell the tastiest crepes, waffles and pancakes. Or there’s the one’s that sell incredible cheesy chips to keep you fuelled for all the walking you’ll be doing. You can catch the tram, but if you go to Amsterdam you will find yourself doing a hell of a lot of walking, so be prepared.

There’s that many things to do there that we could be here for ages, so here’s some of the best bits...

There’s the Anne Frank museum which is really interesting... There’s the sex museum, which after you’ve got a few immature giggles out the way with, is actually really interesting. It’s also located near the Red Light District if you’re interested in going to have a wander round there, it isn’t for everyone, but if you do happen to walk down a side street, it is an eye opening experience! There’s the canal boat trips to take which really can be romantic if you head there at the right time of year. And of course, the Christmas markets too!

There’s so much more to do in terms of tourist attractions and museums, you should really consider making Amsterdam a must for your next trip abroad.

Tuesday, 7 November 2017

* Disclaimer - Please don’t prejudge this post before you’ve read it - it’s an honest review and something that I really love and wanted to share here on my blog. I bought this product with my own money just like I would have any other mascara *

Now, I bet you scrolled down to see what I was talking about, didn’t you?! Are you surprised? Are you still reading? Thank you if you are! You’ll be really shocked to see the results and my thoughts on this mascara...

So, as some of you may know, I run my own Younique Business called ‘Beyond you Beauty’ and if some of you haven’t heard, Younique is an American Makeup Brand that use reps to sell their products. I’m not one of these in-your-face kind of sellers though as this is probably only the 2nd or 3rd time I’ve actually put a product on my blog. That’s not because I don’t love them, it’s because I know people are judgemental and skeptical about whether it’s an honest review or I’m just trying to get sales! I can tell you now, I don’t sell anything I don’t like myself.

Back in July, Younique released a revolutionary new product, the Epic Mascara. Unlike their well-known 3D Fibrelash Mascara, Epic is a one step, ‘regular’ mascara in which it is quick to use and great for everyone! Not everyone likes the fibrelash mascara, I’m not a huge fan of it myself but this is like your average tube of mascara HOWEVER, it is probably one of the best mascaras I have ever tried. Seriously.

The wand is kind of fluffy however the bristles are separate enough to comb through your lashes and make them super long and thick. It’s completely build able too and doesn’t clump at all. The brush also has a thin, tapered tip so that if you’re like me, you can get the tiny, hard to reach lashes in the corner of your eyes and every lash gets coated! The amount of product that comes out on the brush is perfect and best of all, it doesn’t give you panda eyes!! It’s not claimed to be waterproof however, it is water resistant meaning you don’t have to worry about it running if you get caught in the rain or start crying through a film or chopping onions (I’ve tested the onion chopping!)

To get the most out of this mascara, I find curling my lashes before helps to give them more of a lift however, the below pictures show a before / after of just the mascara, no curling beforehand.

I have tried so many other mascaras; Urban Decay, Lancome, MAC, Soap and Glory, No7 etc etc and I can probably say that the only other mascara I would use if I ran out of this was Benefit Rollerlash, other than that, I will be repurchasing this over and over. I actually already have a backup incase I run out and have to wait to place another order!

You can see the effects of the mascara from a quick use, the way it thickens and separates lashes without leaving clumps - it really is my favourite product Younique have ever released. And it’s not too expensive either - just £19 (other high end mascaras are way more expensive and I find this is much better).

If you’d like to know how you can get your hands on this, take a look at my Facebook page, drop me a message on Twitter or pop over to my website where you can order direct to your door!

Friday, 3 November 2017

No... I’m not engaged (yet) but I have been looking and thinking about the things I’d want for our big day for a while now and feel that it’s only relevant that I share this post with you if you’re in the same boat or, planning your own wedding at the moment!

A lot of people can have their own opinions on what you should or shouldn’t be doing, whether you should be having one thing over another etc, etc so if you’re tired of everyone’s opinions about your wedding, just don’t listen to them! Its yourday!

Planning a
wedding should be an exciting, if not stressful, time in any couple’s
life. Although, far too often they find that friends and family
members struggle to keep their opinions to themselves, even when
nobody asks them. If you have ever
planned a wedding, or in the middle of doing so, chances are the
above sounds familiar. Whether it’s the bride or groom’s parents
making comments about the venue or catering, friends moaning because
of the date or just anyone taking an issue with something that they
wouldn’t do themselves.

Remember, it’s your day, not theirs! If you find
yourselves in this situation, politely remind them this. What works for one will not necessarily work
for the other. If we all liked the same things, then the world would
be a pretty boring place to be. That doesn’t
mean that you shouldn’t ask for the opinions of those close to you,
but neither does it mean that you should listen to everything that
they say. Take their opinions on board, but don’t allow their
thoughts to put you off something that both you and your partner
really want.

Parents of the
couple will almost certainly want to feel involved in big decisions too, especially if they are helping to pay some of the costs.
Most of the time, parents will be happy to offer their opinions,
whether the venue is to their taste or not, but will have no
objections to the final decision. Sometimes,
however, that may not be the case and parents, or anyone else, will
forever tell you that they do not like the venue, or that you should
have gone elsewhere. Do not allow such negativity to bring you down,
and do your best to ignore such comments – as your loved ones; they
should accept whatever makes you happy.

Food...Catering options are something that you should certainly seek the
advice of friends and family, as while it is your day, picking a menu
that half of the guests will not eat from will not make for a
pleasant day. Everyone’s tastes are different, so try to include as
much variety
in the menu as possible. If you are not
looking to hold a wedding that would rival the Royal Family, and care
not for the finer things in life, then there is nothing wrong with
looking a little more outside of the box. A fish and chip van can
offer a meal for everyone at a far better price than you may find at
more upmarket caterers, and there is sure to be something that
everyone will like!

Other
arrangements for the day include hair and makeup, where the couple
sleeps, when they arrive at the venue and, of course, the dress and
what everyone is wearing. Try not to be the
couple that forces everyone to wear something they detest (just
imagine the unhappy bridesmaids’ faces in the wedding pictures).
Discuss your ideas, and take on board their thoughts and decide
together for anything that directly involves them, so as your guests
do not feel alienated.

Once you have
planned the perfect day all that is left is to tie the knot and enjoy
yourselves!